Best Public Administration Schools Near Butler, PA (2026)

Butler, Pennsylvania has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $66,246 to $83,654 per year for indexed programs. Butler has a population of about 13,306. Median household income is $41,705 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 21.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Pittsburgh, PA metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is General and Operations Manager at a median $100,840 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Public Administration Schools to Butler

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public administration programs near Butler, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Butler city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Butler. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus

Pittsburgh, PA 29.0 miles from Butler
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
73.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $66,125
Avg net price $30,434/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 239

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA 29.0 miles from Butler
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
80.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 12%
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $114,862
Avg net price $31,944/yr
Tuition
In‑state$66,246
Out‑of‑state$66,246
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 128

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Point Park University

Pittsburgh, PA 29.7 miles from Butler
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
41.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,856
Avg net price $25,942/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 61

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus

Indiana, PA 42.1 miles from Butler
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
52.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,019
Avg net price $16,804/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 109

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Pennsylvania State University-World Campus

University Park, PA 106.4 miles from Butler
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
47.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,435
Avg net price $19,550/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 117

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

Shippensburg, PA 136.6 miles from Butler
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
51.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,351
Avg net price $23,726/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg

Middletown, PA 171.8 miles from Butler
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
41.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 98%
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,435
Avg net price $23,330/yr
Tuition
In‑state$15,972
Out‑of‑state$26,958
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Wilkes University

Wilkes-Barre, PA 210.4 miles from Butler
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
55.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 91%
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,454
Avg net price $27,743/yr
Tuition
In‑state$43,496
Out‑of‑state$43,496
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 56

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Pennsylvania schools on the Pennsylvania public administration page.


Public Administration Wages Near Butler

Butler is part of the Pittsburgh, PA metro area (BLS area code 38300). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Social and Community Service Manager$74,170Pittsburgh, PA$78,321
Urban and Regional Planner$79,690Pittsburgh, PA$84,150
General and Operations Manager$100,840Pittsburgh, PA$106,484
Management Analyst$85,990Pittsburgh, PA$90,803

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Butler at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population13,306Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$41,705Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+21.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)94.7 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Butler-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public administration schools are near Butler, PA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Butler. The closest is University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus in Pittsburgh, PA (29.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Kent State University at Kent (77.9 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public administration roles near Butler?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Butler are: General and Operations Manager ($100,840), Management Analyst ($85,990), Urban and Regional Planner ($79,690). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Pennsylvania statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in New Castle instead of Butler?

New Castle, PA is 25.2 miles from Butler and has its own set of local public administration programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Butler an affordable place to study public administration?

Butler’s median household income of $41,705 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Butler while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Pennsylvania public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Public Administration Programs

Other Programs Available in Butler

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Butler:

Data verified: August 31, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.